The Growth Control Program is composed of 38 investigators (34 Full and 4 Associate members) from 15 Departments with a common interest in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which eukaryotic cells regulate survival proliferation, and/or division. Moreover, members of this Program are committed to integrating basic research with an understanding of malignant transformation and the identification of targets for cancer therapeutics. The overall goal of the Program is to actively promote research collaborations amongst its members and facilitate the application of a wide range of cutting-edge research tools and approaches to better understand basic regulatory mechanisms that suppress malignant transformation in human cells. The Program has the following Specific Aims: 1) To study transcriptional and epigenetic machineries that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation;2) To elucidate intracellular cell signaling networks regulating cell survival and growth;3) To determine how cells control their division and checkpoints;4) To understand the mechanisms of action of oncogenes and tumor suppressors;and 5) To translate the knowledge generated from basic studies into tools to fight cancer. Wei Dai and Michele Pagano are the Co-Leaders for this Program. Total funding increased from $16,079,153 to $16,483,886 since the last competitive application. Membership has decreased from 45 to 38. Publications for the period total 477, of which 7.5% are intra-programmatic, 19.3% are inter-programmatic, and 2.7% are both intra- and interprogrammatic collaborations.

Public Health Relevance

Cancer is a collection of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth. Deregulated cellular and molecular processes that govern cell survival, division, and/or death play key roles in the development of cancer. The Program functions to promote research collaborations among its members to better understand basic mechanisms that curb cancer development.